Sec. 76.221 Sponsorship identification; list retention; related
requirements.
(a) When a cable television system operator engaged in origination
cablecasting presents any matter for which money, service, or other
valuable consideration is either directly or indirectly paid or promised
to, or charged or accepted by such cable television system operator, the
cable television system operator, at the time of the cablecast, shall
announce that such matter is sponsored, paid for, or furnished, either
in whole or in part, and by whom or on whose behalf such consideration
was supplied: Provided, however, That ``service or other valuable
consideration'' shall not include any service or property furnished
either without or at a nominal charge for use on, or in connection with,
a cablecast unless it is so furnished in consideration for an
identification of any person, product, service, trademark, or brand name
beyond an identification reasonably related to the use of such service
or property on the cablecast. For the purposes of this section, the term
``sponsored'' shall be deemed to have the same meaning as ``paid for.''
In the case of any political advertisement cablecast under this
paragraph that concerns candidates for public office, the sponsor shall
be identified with letters equal to or greater than four percent of the
vertical picture height that air for not less than four seconds.
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(b) Each cable television system operator engaged in origination
cablecasting shall exercise reasonable diligence to obtain from
employees, and from other persons with whom the system operator deals
directly in connection with any matter for cablecasting, information to
enable such system operator to make the announcement required by this
section.
(c) In the case of any political origination cablecast matter or any
origination cablecast matter involving the discussion of public
controversial issues for which any film, record, transcription, talent,
script, or other material or service of any kind is furnished, either
directly or indirectly, to a cable television system operator as an
inducement for cablecasting such matter, an announcement shall be made
both at the beginning and conclusion of such cablecast on which such
material or service is used that such film, record, transcription,
talent, script, or other material or service has been furnished to such
cable television system operator in connection with the transmission of
such cablecast matter: Provided, however, That in the case of any
cablecast of 5 minutes' duration or less, only one such announcement
need be made either at the beginning or conclusion of the cablecast.
(d) The announcement required by this section shall, in addition to
stating the fact that the origination cablecasting matter was sponsored,
paid for or furnished, fully and fairly disclose the true identity of
the person or persons, or corporation, committee, association or other
unincorporated group, or other entity by whom or on whose behalf such
payment is made or promised, or from whom or on whose behalf such
services or other valuable consideration is received, or by whom the
material or services referred to in paragraph (c) of this section are
furnished. Where an agent or other person or entity contracts or
otherwise makes arrangements with a cable television system operator on
behalf of another, and such fact is known or by the exercise of
reasonable diligence, as specified in paragraph (b) of this section,
could be known to the system operator, the announcement shall disclose
the identity of the person or persons or entity on whose behalf such
agent is acting instead of the name of such agent. Where the origination
cablecasting material is political matter or matter involving the
discussion of a controversial issue of public importance and a
corporation, committee, association or other unincorporated group, or
other entity is paying for or furnishing the matter, the system operator
shall, in addition to making the announcement required by this section,
require that a list of the chief executive officers or members of the
executive committee or of the board of directors of the corporation,
committee, association or other unincorporated group, or other entity
shall be made available for public inspection at the local office of the
system. Such lists shall be kept and made available for a period of two
years.
(e) In the case of origination cablecast matter advertising
commercial products or services, an announcement stating the sponsor's
corporate or trade name, or the name of the sponsor's product, when it
is clear that the mention of the name of the product constitutes a
sponsorship identification, shall be deemed sufficient for the purposes
of this section and only one such announcement need be made at any time
during the course of the cablecast.
(f) The announcement otherwise required by this section is waived
with respect to the origination cablecast or ``want ad'' or classified
advertisements sponsored by an individual. The waiver granted in this
paragraph shall not extend to a classified advertisement or want and
sponsorship by any form of business enterprise, corporate or otherwise.
Whenever sponsorship announcements are omitted pursuant to this
paragraph, the cable television system operator shall observe the
following conditions:
(1) Maintain a list showing the name, address, and (where available)
the telephone number of each advertiser;
(2) Make this list available to members of the public who have a
legitimate interest in obtaining the information contained in the list.
(g) The announcements required by this section are waived with
respect to feature motion picture film produced
[[Page 538]]
initially and primarily for theatre exhibition.
Note: The waiver heretofore granted by the Commission in its Report
and Order, adopted November 16, 1960 (FCC 60-1369; 40 F.C.C. 95),
continues to apply to programs filmed or recorded on or before June 20,
1963, when Sec. 73.654(e), the predecessor television rule, went into
effect.
(h) Commission interpretations in connection with the provisions of
the sponsorship identification rules for the broadcasting services are
contained in the Commission's Public Notice, entitled ``Applicability of
Sponsorship Indentification Rules,'' dated May 6, 1963 (40 F.C.C. 141),
as modified by Public Notice, dated April 21, 1975 (FCC 75-418). Further
interpretations are printed in full in various volumes of the Federal
Communications Commission Reports. The interpretations made for the
broadcasting services are equally applicable to origination
cablecasting.
[ 39 FR 18401 , Apr. 28, 1974, as amended at 42 FR 19348 , Apr. 13, 1977;
42 FR 23510 , May 9, 1977; 57 FR 212 , Jan. 3, 1992; 57 FR 8279 , Mar. 9,
1992]
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